Integration boundaries
Extend an ERP or WMS workflow without replacing the system of record
An ERP or WMS can hold the right records while a team still spends its day moving between paper, e-mail and screens. The useful question is which handoff needs a better path, and which system must remain responsible for the record.
Begin with the handoff, not the integration diagram
Follow one real event from its trigger to the person who makes the next decision. Note where information is copied, where a call is needed to reconstruct status and where an exception has no clear owner. That sequence exposes the work a new layer must support.
In Scrap Control, the handoff ran from an operator's paper declaration to a Quality decision and an existing WMS record. In Operation Partners, order priorities and receiving labels needed a shared supplier path. They are different workflows; neither requires treating the WMS as disposable.
Keep ownership of data explicit
Write down which system owns each record, which users may see it and which actions may change it. A focused application can guide an operator or supplier while the ERP or WMS remains the authoritative source for orders, stock or quality data.
The available interfaces and permissions determine what is feasible. A read-only view, a controlled export and a verified write-back have different operational and security implications. The correct boundary is established with the customer, not inferred from the product name.
Design the exception path before the happy path is finished
A process description should cover missing identifiers, changing priorities, duplicate submissions and decisions that need a reason. It should also show the owner of the next action and the evidence needed to reconstruct what happened.
Use a small set of representative cases to agree on acceptance criteria. Then test the working preview with the people who perform and govern the process. Their feedback belongs beside the requirement and the decision, so an adjustment does not become an undocumented side channel.
Estimate the smallest useful change
Clarify data access, roles, constraints and the first measurable outcome before fixing a delivery scope. A versioned estimate can then state assumptions and exclusions rather than implying that every possible integration is included.
The aim is a more legible workflow around systems that already work. Where those systems cannot expose the necessary data or action safely, the boundary must be revised before development is promised.
Questions to bring to the first discussion
- Which event starts the work, and who must act next?
- Where is the authoritative record today?
- Which identifiers and permissions are available?
- How will an exception or correction be traced?